I'm most glad to see this forum as I so often need help with I.Ding plants and I have a couple I need help with please: These are growing near the woods. Same as above I don't know if this is a Magnolia virginiana (M. glauca) Sweet bay or Magnolia australis Southern sweet bay. I've tried to show the contrast of the silver on the back of the leaves and the green of the top of the leaves. The flowers look like a miniature bloom of M. grandiflora, are only very slightly yellow, have a lemony frangrance, and about the size of a golf ball. The fruits, in the Fall, are a bright red. It has a single trunk.

Hey Jay, Indeed you and Linda are right. I, too, went to the USDA site and have narrowed it down to: Ruellia nudiflora, R. caerulea, R. caroliniensis, and finally R. humilis because as you said it appears the R. prostrata is in HI. But who knows, it might have gotten here as did the imported red fire ants.
I read that one of the Ruellias was the larval plant food for the Common Buckeye butterfly and since I try to plant things for the butterflies and their larva, I went to BAMONA (Butterflies and Moths of North America) and now I can't remember which of the Ruellias it is, if it's the one which is growing out here, then we should have an ample amount of Buckeyes.
Linda, thank you for taking the time to look the plant up and putting me on the track. I do appreciate it.
Jay, thanks to you, too, for taking the time to help.
I'm much obliged to the both of you.
Lee

Thanks Linda and Jay. I had it written down somewhere amongst the stack of papers here which one came the closest to being what we have. Rats, I'll have to go back to USDA and check.
I do appreciate your help.
Lee

Kevin, USDA is by far the most complete list of plants growing in the US, but can be difficult to find anything unless you have a good idea where to start.
I like the Wildflower Center best for searching for native plants. It is much easier to search and usually has better descriptions and photos.http://www.wildflower.org/plants/

Ok, Jay, I went to the area where they were blooming y'day and I couldn't believe there is not even a single petal on any but I was able to try to get better shots of the leaves and buds.
I only have a little Kodak EasyShare, so I'm kinda limited in what I'd like to show you as far as details go. Maybe in a day or two, the buds will have opened.

I hope these give you a little better perspective and I've written down the wildflower address you were kind enough to send.
Too, I'll keep a look-out for any flowering in a day or two.
Lee

Hey Jay, It's as if by magic the Ruellia ???? are in bloom and I've taken some more pics for you and Terri. I swear, I think I'm going to have to get a botanist out here and ID them for me in order for me to have some piece of mind. I might have to send you a plane ticket and have you ID them.
So, for what it's worth, here are some more pics.